Queen's Speech 2021 - Climate Change, Net Zero and COP26

“My Government will invest in new green industries to create jobs, while protecting the environment. The United Kingdom is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and will continue to lead the way internationally by hosting the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.”

• ● We are already leading the way globally in acting on climate change - as the first major economy in the world to set net zero in law, we reduced our emissions
  by 44 per cent between 1990 and 2019, while growing our economy by 78 per cent. This is the fastest rate in the G7.

• ● We have laid legislation to set Carbon Budget 6 at the level recommended by the Climate Change Committee, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 compared to future estimates of 1990 emissions levels – the most ambitious in the world.

• ● The Prime Minister has laid out a Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution over the next decade. The Plan will mobilise £12 billion of Government investment and could unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030 to create thousands of highly-skilled green jobs, build back a greener economy and level up opportunity across the country.

• ● We are delivering on our Plan. We have announced new offshore wind ports supporting up to 60,000 jobs, supported over 100,000 businesses and public bodies to transition to low carbon heating, and we are helping tens of thousands of households to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes.

• ● We have already published our Energy White Paper which sets out the transformation of the UK's energy system. Policies included will create new industries and investment in green innovation and will support up to 220,000 jobs by 2030.

• ● Our Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy sets out an ambitious blueprint to deliver the world’s first low-carbon industrial sector and over £1 billion to cut emissions, as well as supporting up to 80,000 jobs over the next three decades.

• ● Our forthcoming sector strategies, including Heat and Buildings, the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, and the comprehensive Net Zero Strategy will set out the Government’s vision for transitioning to a net zero economy by 2050.

• ● The UK will host the vital COP26 climate negotiations in November this year to catalyse ambitious global action to cut emissions to net zero further, to help

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communities adapt and increase resilience and harness growing momentum to successfully deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement.

• ● We will work with international partners to push a significant reduction in global carbon emissions with new or updated 2030 targets, otherwise known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ahead of COP26, and commitments from countries, regions, businesses that set a course for net zero.

• ● The UK has announced a new NDC, which commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 on 1990 levels, the highest level of emissions reductions by 2030 of any major economy to date, compared to 1990 levels.

• ● The UK is among the largest contributors of climate finance. The Prime Minister announced that the UK will double our International Climate Finance to at least £11.6 billion from 2021 to 2025 to drive clean and resilient growth in developing countries.

• ● From 31 March 2021 the UK Government will no longer provide any new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, other than in limited circumstances. This includes UK Export Finance support, international aid funding, and trade promotion for new crude oil, natural gas and thermal coal projects. We are leading the way in R&D and innovation, including through the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, and the £1 billion Ayrton Fund.

  Key facts

• ● In 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to make a legally binding commitment to end its contribution to global warming by 2050 by reaching net zero emissions.

• ● We met our first and second carbon budgets that were established under the Climate Change Act 2008, and we are on track to overachieve on the third. We are taking decisive action to go further faster to deliver Carbon Budgets 4 and 5 (2023-27; 2028-32).

• ● Over 460,000 people are already working in low carbon businesses and their supply chains across the country, with turnover estimated at £46.7 billion in 2018.

• ● We are making progress. So far: o

Low carbon electricity now gives us over 50 per cent of our total.

We have

the world’s largest offshore wind capacity (a third of the global total).

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• ● In 2020, 13,460 hectares of trees were planted towards our 2025 UK yearly target of 30,000 hectares per year.

• ● We are ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 putting the UK on course to be the fastest G7 country to decarbonise cars and vans, and from 2035, all new cars and vans must be zero emissions at the tailpipe. Currently, sales of battery electric vehicles are at seven per cent of all car sales.

• ● We have reduced emissions by more than two-thirds in the power sector. Renewable electricity generation has more than quadrupled since 2010 and low carbon electricity now gives us over 50 per cent of our total.

• ● We are taking action in every sector of the economy, investing in green industries to spur more private investment, including:

o Committing £240 million for low carbon hydrogen production out to 2024- 25.

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• ● Our Nationally Determined Contribution will reduce emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 on 1990 levels.

• ● Since 2011, our International Climate Finance has helped:

  • ○ 57 million people cope with the effects of climate change.

  • ○ 26 million people with improved access to clean energy.

  • ○ Reduce or avoid 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.